patience is key
by Grasshopper
Summary: If it weren't for bad luck, Riku would wonder if he had any luck at all. *Lucifer/Riku*


**Title:** patience is key  
**Author:** Grasshopper (A.K.A. The Undertaker's Muse)  
**Rated:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** BL. Weirdness.  
**Fandom:** Angel Sanctuary/Kingdom Hearts  
**Challenge:** No True Pair  
**Prompt:** Kira and Riku: It was a dark and stormy night-  
**Spoilers:** Set several years after AS and kind of TWT after KH2. So, yeah.  
**Pairings:** Kira/Riku  
**Summary:** If it weren't for bad luck, Riku would wonder if he had any luck at all.  
**Author's Notes:** I've worked on this off and on since the round it was originally prompted; make of that what you will. (Someday, I'd like to do a follow-up...)  
**Disclaimer:** All characters and the series they come from belong to their creators. Grassy can only lay claim to the fic.

* * *

Silver hair shone in the lingering light of the storm that enveloped the dilapidated building - what looked to have been a castle long, long ago - Riku currently occupied. Not even the heavy, hooded leather coat had kept the most determined of raindrops from soaking through his clothing. Growing up on an island, wet didn't bother Riku at all; being damp _and_ cold, on the other hand, was only welcomed after a heated battle when there was nary a shower in sight.

And from the looks of the world he was on - or at least the particular area of it Riku was currently located - fighting would be a while in coming. There were things teeming in the darkness out there, that scurried to and fro where they hid from sight, but all was quiet in the ruins that sheltered Riku from the worst of the downpour. The lack of visibility through the rain he could handle; it wouldn't be the first time. But he didn't want to chance a confrontation when the ground consisted more of quicksand and mud than actual hard soil. Especially with the strange creatures native to this world that inhabited underground.

"And I thought getting away from the Sora-and-Kairi Love Fest and fighting Heartless on my own for a while would be better than sticking around Radiant Garden," Riku moaned. A clap of thunder drowned out most of his words. "Why do none of my ideas go as planned? I swear, if I didn't know better I'd think I had the negative karma points of being related to Sephiroth..."

"There are always worse places to be," an amused voice echoed within the crumbling stone halls.

Way to Dawn at the ready, Riku kept on guard as his newly revealed company came to a standstill just out of striking distance. He had neither heard nor felt their approach, not until the other had wanted to be known. It was decided, then; Riku _really_ hated this world, whatever it was called.

"Who are you?"

"Hmm...no one important, really." Voice a low purr in the darkness, the man's pale face was mostly hidden by the shadows of his messy, blue-on-black hair. The shadow-colored leathers he wore seemed to surround the man in further obscurity. "But you can call me...Kira."

"Right. I'll just do that, then." Riku tried to make out the dark, peculiar marking that bisected one of the man's eyes. His first instinct was to categorize it as a scar, but its coloration and nearly stylized appearance seemed to deem it otherwise. Odd birthmark or a tattoo, perhaps? Riku had seen stranger, if so.

"And might I get your name as well, stranger, or should I just call you Beautiful?"

Riku frowned as certain overactive, teenage parts of him twitched at the words that reverberated alluringly throughout the room. He was often surrounded by dangerous and attractive - sometimes outright evil - men and women (and _other_). This one shouldn't manage in a handful of sentences what took even Sephiroth's low voice, pretty hair, and strappy leather bits several months to accomplish. Maybe it was a form of magic or very strong charisma?

"...Terra." Although Riku preferred being honest - lies were a slippery slope, especially for Keyblade Masters who held an innate sway over others' hearts - several of the worlds he'd been to recently had some truly disturbing forms of magic. And too many of those used true names in a variety of malicious ways, even without knowledge of the characters or original language used to write them. But he truly doubted that Kira was any more this man's name than Terra was his own, so he'd make an exception to his honesty policy this time around.

Kira smiled at the lie. "Terra. Waiting out the storm?"

"Yes, actually."

"How fortunate. So am I." White teeth flashed with a sharp grin. "Shall we keep one another company, or would you prefer to be alone?"

"Company is fine." Still wary - no way he'd let go of his Keyblade at a time like this! - Riku once more settled back against the decrepit wall behind him. Better to keep an eye on the man than allow Kira the chance for a sneak attack, especially with Kira's apparent ability to hide his own presence from Riku.

"So, Terra. What is a young, human man like you doing in a place like this? It's not exactly prime vacation locale for your kind, even if you _are_ dressed for the climate."

Young, _human_ man? Wonderful. Riku really hoped the eerily beautiful, seemingly inhuman man wasn't xenophobic. Or if he was, that Sora and Kairi would show up out of nowhere in a flare of Heroism and Friendship to save the day and Riku's potentially in-over-his-head ass.

"Well, you know teenagers these days," Riku retorted cheekily, "always going where they're not supposed to."

"Very true. But whatever you're doing here, I hope it's not to cause trouble. We get enough of that from our own inhabitants; no need to borrow from off-worlders. Unless..."

Eyes on the other man moving ever closer, Riku shouldn't have been startled when Kira suddenly came to a standstill before him. He hoped it was as well-hidden as he believed, but Riku had long since given up on underestimating those around him, especially potential enemies.

"...your kind of trouble is interesting. Then, please; allow me to watch."

* * *

Lucifer watched as aquamarine eyes widened, pupils blown wide and strikingly dark against the irises. The boy - young man, really, he had to at least be the same age Setsuna had been when Alexiel's reincarnation made the journey to find Sara's soul - could have passed for one of the angels' own with his beauty. The silver hair, pale skin, and luminescent blue-green eyes would have screamed of celestial descent, were it not for his decidedly human scent.

For a human to stand so close to him, distrustful and ready to attack, but still seemingly relaxed, was intriguing. It had been many years since Lucifer had been near humans, but even Setsuna and Sara had their otherworldly ties. And Lucifer no longer felt the desire to visit his Earth-dwelling friends; to watch them grow ever older and die, even if that would signal Alexiel's return to Lucifer's side. But this Terra provided a good opportunity to while away some time, especially with Belial off playing hir games with those that foolishly challenged authority in the lands se had claimed as hir own.

"So," Lucifer purred once more, "what will it be?"

"I'm not planning any trouble, just needed to get out of the rain." Terra flashed a cocky smile, hiding his nervousness admirably. "But the trouble that finds its way to me is usually interesting."

"Hmm...that does sound rather fun. If not necessarily guaranteed."

"Those are the risks. Sometimes boring is the name of the game."

"True. Not often so, but true nonetheless." He just had to wait; patience was key. Because it was obvious to Lucifer that whoever - whatever - Terra was, his arrival heralded chaos.

Wonderful.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
